serial killer A serial killer is typically a person who murders three or more persons,A * * * * with the murders taking place over more than a month and including a significant period of time between them. While most authorities set a threshold of three ...

is typically a person who murders three or more people, in two or more separate events over a period of time, for primarily psychological reasons.A serial killer is most commonly defined as a person who kills three or more people for psychological gratification; reliable sources over the years agree. See, for example: * * * * * There are gaps of time between the killings, which may range from a few days to months, or many years. This list shows all known serial killers from the 20th century to present day by number of

victims Victim(s) or The Victim may refer to: People * Crime victim * Victim, in psychotherapy, a posited role in the Karpman drama triangle model of transactional analysis Films and television * ''The Victim'' (1916 film), an American silent film by t ...

, then possible victims, then date. In many cases, the exact number of victims assigned to a serial killer is not known, and even if that person is convicted of a few, there can be the possibility that they killed many more. Organization and ranking of serial killings is made difficult by the complex nature of serial killers and incomplete knowledge of the full extent of many killers' crimes. To address this, multiple categories have been provided in order to more accurately describe the nature of certain serial murders. This is not a reflection of an individual's overall rank, which may or may not vary depending on personal opinion concerning the nature and circumstances of their crimes. The fourth column in the table states the number of victims definitely assigned to that particular serial killer, and thus the table is in order of that figure. The fifth column states the number of possible victims the killer could have murdered. Some of these crimes are unsolved, but are included because they are the work of a serial killer, despite nobody being caught. This list does not include

mass murder Mass murder is the act of murdering a number of people, typically simultaneously or over a relatively short period of time and in close geographic proximity. The United States Congress defines mass killings as the killings of three or more pe ...

ers,

spree killer A spree killer is someone who commits a criminal act that involves two or more murders or homicides in a short time, in multiple locations. The U.S. Bureau of Justice Statistics defines a spree killing as "killings at two or more locations ...

s, war criminals, members of

democidal Democide is a term coined by American political scientist Rudolph Rummel to describe "the intentional killing of an unarmed or disarmed person by government agents acting in their authoritative capacity and pursuant to government policy or high ...

governments, or major political figures, such as

Adolf Hitler Adolf Hitler (; 20 April 188930 April 1945) was an Austrian-born German politician who was dictator of Nazi Germany, Germany from 1933 until Death of Adolf Hitler, his death in 1945. Adolf Hitler's rise to power, He rose to power as the le ...

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...

Hideki Tojo Hideki Tojo (, ', December 30, 1884 – December 23, 1948) was a Japanese politician, general of the Imperial Japanese Army (IJA), and convicted war criminal who served as prime minister of Japan and president of the Imperial Rule Assistan ...

Suharto Suharto (; ; 8 June 1921 – 27 January 2008) was an Indonesian army officer and politician, who served as the second and the longest serving president of Indonesia. Widely regarded as a military dictator by international observers, Suharto ...

Mao Zedong Mao Zedong pronounced ; also romanised traditionally as Mao Tse-tung. (26 December 1893 – 9 September 1976), also known as Chairman Mao, was a Chinese communist revolutionary who was the founder of the People's Republic of China (PRC) ...

Joseph Stalin Joseph Vissarionovich Stalin (born Ioseb Besarionis dze Jughashvili; – 5 March 1953) was a Georgian revolutionary and Soviet political leader who led the Soviet Union from 1924 until his death in 1953. He held power as General Secreta ...

, or

Pol Pot Pol Pot; (born Saloth Sâr;; 19 May 1925 – 15 April 1998) was a Cambodian revolutionary, dictator, and politician who ruled Cambodia as Prime Minister of Democratic Kampuchea between 1976 and 1979. Ideologically a Marxist–Leninist a ...

Serial killers with the highest known victim count

The most prolific modern serial killer is arguably Dr.

Harold Shipman Harold Frederick Shipman (14 January 1946 – 13 January 2004), known by the public as Doctor Death and to acquaintances as Fred Shipman, was an English general practitioner and serial killer. He is considered to be one of the most prolif ...

, with 218 probable murders and possibly as many as 250 ( see "Medical professionals", below). However, he was actually convicted of a sample of 15 murders. Excluding these "Medical professionals and pseudo-medical professionals", with their ability to kill simply and in plain sight, and Serial killer groups and couples (below), this list is a compilation of modern serial killers currently with the highest verifiable murder count.

Serial killers with 15 to 30 victims

This part of the list contains all serial killers with 15 to 30 proven victims who acted alone and were neither medical professionals nor contract killers.

Serial killers with 5 to 14 proven victims

This part of the list contains all serial killers with five to fourteen proven victims who acted alone and were neither medical professionals nor contract killers.

Serial killers with fewer than five proven victims

This part of the list contains all serial killers with fewer than five proven victims who acted alone and were neither medical professionals nor contract killers.

Medical professionals and pseudo-medical professionals

}). , - ,

Marcel Petiot Marcel André Henri Félix Petiot (17 January 1897 – 25 May 1946) was a French medical doctor and serial killer. He was convicted of multiple murders after the discovery of the remains of 23 people in the basement of his home in Paris during W ...

, , 1926–1944 , 26 , 63 , Active 1926 and from 1942 to 1944. Petiot is suspected of having killed up to 63 in total. Executed in 1946. , - ,

Arnfinn Nesset Arnfinn Nesset (born 25 October 1936) is a Norwegian former nurse and nursing home manager and a convicted serial killer. His crimes include the murders of at least 22 people, as well as attempted murder, document forgery, and embezzlement. He may ...

, , 1983 and earlier , 22 , 27–138+ , Norwegian

nurse Nursing is a profession within the health care sector focused on the care of individuals, families, and communities so they may attain, maintain, or recover optimal health and quality of life. Nurses may be differentiated from other health c ...

and most prolific known serial killer in Scandinavian history, convicted in 1983 of poisoning at least 22 patients with Curacit; however he initially confessed to 27 murders; later he retracted his confessions and claimed he had killed 138 patients. Was released from prison in 2004 after serving 21 years, the maximum punishment possible by Norwegian law. , - , Roger Andermatt , , 1995–2001 , 22 , 22 , Known as the "Death-Keeper of

Lucerne Lucerne ( , ; High Alemannic German, High Alemannic: ''Lozärn'') or Luzern ()Other languages: gsw, Lozärn, label=Lucerne German; it, Lucerna ; rm, Lucerna . is a city in central Switzerland, in the Languages of Switzerland, German-speaking po ...

"; nurse who killed 22 patients; most prolific Swiss serial killer in history; sentenced to life imprisonment. , - ,

Maxim Petrov Maxim Vladimirovich Petrov (russian: Максим Владимирович Петров, born 1965) is a Russian serial killer, convicted for the killing of 11 people in St Petersburg between 1999 and 2000. Petrov, nicknamed Doctor Death by the ...

, , 2000–2002 , 12 , 19 , Doctor who killed his patients in

St. Petersburg Saint Petersburg ( rus, links=no, Санкт-Петербург, a=Ru-Sankt Peterburg Leningrad Petrograd Piter.ogg, r=Sankt-Peterburg, p=ˈsankt pʲɪtʲɪrˈburk), formerly known as Petrograd (1914–1924) and later Leningrad (1924–1991), i ...

. Suspected of 19 murders. , - , Ann Arbor Hospital Killer , , 1975 , 10 , 10 , Poisonings of 10 patients at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in 1975. Filipino nurses Filipina Narciso and Leonora Perez were tried for the crimes. , - , Ludivine Chambet , , 2012–2013 , 10 , 10 , Known as "The Poisoner of Chambéry"; nurse's aide who poisoned elderly patients; sentenced to 25 years imprisonment. , - , Petr Zelenka , , 2006 , 7 , 21 , Killed his victims with a

lethal injection Lethal injection is the practice of injecting one or more drugs into a person (typically a barbiturate, paralytic, and potassium solution) for the express purpose of causing rapid death. The main application for this procedure is capital puni ...

heparin Heparin, also known as unfractionated heparin (UFH), is a medication and naturally occurring glycosaminoglycan. Since heparins depend on the activity of antithrombin, they are considered anticoagulants. Specifically it is also used in the treatm ...

from May to September 2006. Ten people survived his murder attempt. Suspected of up to 14 additional murders. , - , Orville Lynn Majors , , 1993–1995 , 6 , 130 , LPN in Vermillion County Ind., Preyed on elderly patients—thought to have killed many of them with injections of potassium chloride. Sentenced to 360 years in Indiana. , - ,

Efren Saldivar Efren Saldivar (born September 30, 1969) is an American serial killer who murdered patients while working as a respiratory therapist at Adventist Health Glendale, named at that time Glendale Adventist Medical Center in Glendale, California. Earl ...

, , 1989–1997 , 6 , 50+ , Respiratory therapist who killed six patients, possibly as many as 120. , - ,

Christine Malèvre Christine Malèvre (born January 10, 1970) is a former nurse who was arrested in 1998 on suspicion of having killed as many as 30 patients. She confessed to some of the murders, but claimed she had done so at the request of the patients, who were ...

, , 1998 and earlier , 6 , 30 , Nurse who killed

terminally ill Terminal illness or end-stage disease is a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and is expected to result in the death of the patient. This term is more commonly used for progressive diseases such as cancer, dementia or advanced he ...

patients claiming that they had asked her to help them die, something denied by their families. Sentenced to 12 years in prison for six murders and suspect of 30. , - ,

Antoinette Scieri Antoinette Scieri (1890-1968) was a French nurse convicted of murdering her elderly patients. Scieri was born in Italy and studied nursing at Doullens during World War I. She was arrested and imprisoned for fraud and theft in 1915 for stealing v ...

, , 1924–1925 , 6 , 12+ , Nurse who poisoned her elderly patients. Death sentence was commuted to life in prison and she died in prison. , - ,

Ahmad Ahmadi Ahmad Ahmadi (; 1885–1944), known as ''Pezeshk Ahmadi'' meaning Physician Ahmadi, was born in Mashhad to Mohammad Ali Ahmadi. He worked as a nurse at Qasr prison in Tehran, where he was ordered to kill political prisoners; he was later execut ...

Imperial State of Iran Imperial is that which relates to an empire, emperor, or imperialism. Imperial or The Imperial may also refer to: Places United States * Imperial, California * Imperial, Missouri * Imperial, Nebraska * Imperial, Pennsylvania * Imperial, Texas ...

, 1931–1944 , 6 , , Responsible for killing political prisoners at

Qasr prison The Museum of the Qasr Prison ( fa, موزه‌ زندان قصر ''muze-ye zendān-e qasr'') is a historical complex in Tehran, Iran. Formerly referred to as the Qasr Prison ( ''zendān-e qasr'', "Mansion prison"), it was one of the oldest poli ...

during the reign of

Reza Shah Reza Shah Pahlavi ( fa, رضا شاه پهلوی; ; originally Reza Khan (); 15 March 1878 – 26 July 1944) was an Iranian Officer (armed forces), military officer, politician (who served as Ministry of Defence and Armed Forces Logistics (Iran), ...

. , - ,

Frans Hooijmaijers Frans Hooijmaijers (October 24, 1935 – August 20, 2006), known as Fat Frans ( nl, Dikke Frans), was a Dutch serial killer and former nurse who was convicted for killing five patients at a hospital in Kerkrade from 1970 to 1975, but was suspecte ...

, , 1970–1975 , 5 , 259 , Nurse who was convicted for killing five patients at a hospital in

Kerkrade Kerkrade ( Ripuarian: ; li, Kirkraoj; german: Kerkrade or ''Kirchrath'') is a town and a municipality in the southeast of Limburg; the southernmost province of the Netherlands. It forms part of the Parkstad Limburg agglomeration. Kerkrade is the ...

, the Netherlands from 1970 to 1975, but was suspected to have killed approximately 259 people. , - ,

Miyuki Ishikawa was a Japanese midwife, real estate agent and serial killer. During the US occupation of Japan, she and several accomplices are believed to have murdered dozens of infants, a crime spree known as the Kotobuki San'in incident. Early life Miyuk ...

, , 1946–1948 , 5 , 84 , Killed 84 newborn children at maximum. As a midwife, she killed infants born to parents unwilling to care for them during the prohibition of

abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...

in Japan. Arrested in 1948, and sentenced to four years imprisonment in 1953 as final decision. , - ,

Kristen Gilbert Kristen Heather Gilbert ( Strickland; born November 13, 1967) is an American serial killer and former nurse who was convicted of four murders and two attempted murders of patients admitted to the Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) in Northam ...

, , 1990–1996 , 5 , 70+ , Nurse at a

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett language, Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut assachusett writing systems, məhswatʃəwiːsət'' English: , ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is the most populous U.S. state, state in the New England ...

Veterans Medical Center who injected male patients with

epinephrine Adrenaline, also known as epinephrine, is a hormone and medication which is involved in regulating visceral functions (e.g., respiration). It appears as a white microcrystalline granule. Adrenaline is normally produced by the adrenal glands and ...

, causing

heart attack A myocardial infarction (MI), commonly known as a heart attack, occurs when blood flow decreases or stops to the coronary artery of the heart, causing damage to the heart muscle. The most common symptom is chest pain or discomfort which may tr ...

s. Sentenced to life without parole. , - ,

Amy Archer-Gilligan Amy Duggan "Sister" Archer-Gilligan (October 31, 1873 – April 23, 1962) was a nursing home proprietor and serial killer from Windsor, Connecticut. She murdered at least five people by poisoning them. One of her victims was her second husband, ...

, , 1910–1917 , 5 , 48+ , A nursing home proprietor believed to have poisoned as many as 60 patients from her homes and her second husband. Charged with five murders originally, this was lowered to just one following her admission of guilt, and was found guilty of second degree murder. Died in a mental hospital in 1962. , - ,

Sonya Caleffi Sonya Caleffi (born 21 July 1970) is an Italian serial killer. She was suspected of killing 15 to 18 people and convicted of five of them. Biography At fifteen, Caleffi began to suffer from depression and anorexia nervosa, but at school she rema ...

, , 2003–2004 , 5 , 18 , Nurse who poisoned terminally-ill patients; sentenced to 20 years imprisonment. , - ,

Michael Swango Michael Joseph Swango (born October 21, 1954) is an American serial killer and licensed physician who is estimated to have been involved in as many as 60 fatal poisonings of patients and colleagues, although he admitted to only causing four deat ...

,
, 1981–1997 , 4 , 35–60+ , Medical Doctor who killed patients. , - ,

Kermit Gosnell Kermit Barron Gosnell (born February 9, 1941) is an American former physician and serial killer. He provided abortions at his clinic in West Philadelphia. Gosnell was convicted of the murders of three infants who were born alive after using ...

, , 1989?–2010 , 4 , 100+ , Gosnell, who ran an

abortion clinic Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregnan ...

, was charged with eight and convicted of four murders. Three babies were born alive, then killed by cutting the infant's spine with scissors. One mother died due to complications. Testimony indicated hundreds of similar procedures carried out by Gosnell and his staff. , - ,

Edson Izidoro Guimarães Edson Isidoro Guimarães (born 1957) is a Brazilian nurse, nursing assistant and convicted serial killer. He confessed to five murders of which he was convicted of four, but is suspected of committing up to 131 in total. He claimed that he chose p ...

, , 1999 and earlier , 4 , 131 , Nurse who injected patients with

potassium chloride Potassium chloride (KCl, or potassium salt) is a metal halide salt composed of potassium and chlorine. It is odorless and has a white or colorless vitreous crystal appearance. The solid dissolves readily in water, and its solutions have a salt ...

or removed their oxygen mask. Confessed to five murders which he claimed to be mercy killings and was convicted of four in 2000; sentenced to 76 years in prison. He may have killed as many as 131 patients for money, as he was paid $60 for informing local

funeral home A funeral home, funeral parlor or mortuary, is a business that provides burial and funeral services for the dead and their families. These services may include a prepared wake and funeral, and the provision of a chapel for the funeral. Services ...

s of a patient's death so that they could contact the deceased's relatives first. , - ,

Richard Angelo Richard Angelo (born August 29, 1962) is an American serial killer who operated within Long Island and West Islip, New York. In 1989, he was convicted of murdering several of his patients and sentenced to 61 years to life in prison. Early life ...

, , 1987 , 4 , 25 , Known as "The Angel of Death". New York nurse convicted of four murders, linked to six other deaths. Suspected of killing up to 25 people. , - ,

Colin Norris Colin Campbell Norris (born 12 February 1976) is a serial killer nurse from Milton in Glasgow, Scotland, who murdered four "difficult" elderly patients and attempted to murder another in two hospitals in Leeds, England in 2002. Norris, who se ...

, , 2002 , 4 , 18 , Convicted of murdering four elderly women and attempting to murder another in two

Leeds Leeds () is a city and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds district in West Yorkshire, England. It is built around the River Aire and is in the eastern foothills of the Pennines. It is also the third-largest settlement (by populati ...

hospitals during 2002 while working as a nurse. He had injected the women, who were only in hospital due to broken hips, with massive overdoses of

insulin Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the ''INS'' gene. It is considered to be the main anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabolism o ...

. He was sentenced to

life imprisonment Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes for ...

with a minimum term of 30 years in 2008. , - ,

Beverley Allitt Beverley Gail Allitt (born 4 October 1968) is an English serial child killer who was convicted of murdering four children, attempting to murder three other children and causing grievous bodily harm to a further six. The crimes were committed ...

, , 1991 , 4 , , Convicted of murdering four children and attacking another six in the

Lincolnshire Lincolnshire (abbreviated Lincs.) is a county in the East Midlands of England, with a long coastline on the North Sea to the east. It borders Norfolk to the south-east, Cambridgeshire to the south, Rutland to the south-west, Leicestershire ...

hospital where she worked as a nurse. Given 13 life sentences. , - , Andrés Ulises Castillo Villarreal , , 2009–2015 , 3 , 12+ , Known as "The Chihuahua Ripper"; drugged, raped and then killed men in Chihuahua; sentenced to 120 years imprisonment. , - ,

Elfriede Blauensteiner Elfriede Martha Blauensteiner (22 January 1931 – 18 November 2003), dubbed The Black Widow, was an Austrian serial killer who murdered at least three victims by poison. In each case, she inherited the victim's possessions. Crimes On 7 March ...

, , 1981–1995 , 3 , 10+ , Known as "The Black Widow"; poisoned people for material gain; died from a brain tumor in 2003. , - ,

Benjamin Geen Benjamin Geen is a double murderer who killed two patients and committed grievous bodily harm against 15 others while working as a nurse at Horton General Hospital in Banbury, Oxfordshire in 2003 and 2004. Geen was believed to be motivated by h ...

, , 2003–2004 , 2 , 12 , Nurse convicted in 2006 of murdering two patients and causing

grievous bodily harm Grievous bodily harm (often abbreviated to GBH) is a term used in English criminal law to describe the severest forms of battery. It refers to two offences that are created by sections 18 and 20 of the Offences against the Person Act 1861. The ...

to another 15 at

Horton General Hospital The Horton General Hospital is a National Health Service hospital located on the Oxford Road, in the Calthorpe ward of Banbury. It is managed by Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. History Pre-1948 The earliest part of the hospita ...

Banbury Banbury is a historic market town on the River Cherwell in Oxfordshire, South East England. It had a population of 54,335 at the 2021 Census. Banbury is a significant commercial and retail centre for the surrounding area of north Oxfordshire ...

Oxfordshire Oxfordshire is a ceremonial and non-metropolitan county in the north west of South East England. It is a mainly rural county, with its largest settlement being the city of Oxford. The county is a centre of research and development, primarily ...

between 2003 and 2004. Induced illness in the patients with overdoses of drugs, in order to enjoy the 'thrill' of resuscitating them. Given 17

life sentences Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes fo ...

and ordered to serve at least 30 years imprisonment. 9 other cases were originally investigated. , - ,

Victorino Chua In 2011, a series of deaths occurred at the Stepping Hill Hospital in Stockport, Greater Manchester. After suspicions were raised concerning the similarities of the deaths, a murder inquiry was launched. Nurse Victorino Chua was found to have p ...

, , 2011 , 2 , 5 , Poisoned several patients at

Stepping Hill Hospital Stepping Hill Hospital is in Stockport, Greater Manchester, England. It is managed by Stockport NHS Foundation Trust. History The facility was first established on Stepping Hill as the Stepping Hill Poor Law Hospital in December 1905. The fac ...

with

Insulin Insulin (, from Latin ''insula'', 'island') is a peptide hormone produced by beta cells of the pancreatic islets encoded in humans by the ''INS'' gene. It is considered to be the main anabolic hormone of the body. It regulates the metabolism o ...

Serial killer groups and couples

Disputed cases

* ''Proven victims'' being either victims the serial killer was convicted of killing, victims declared by the killer in a detailed confession, or those whose status as a victim most scholars of the subject agree upon.

Notes

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Serial killers * Lists by death toll serial victims